Trustees and governors: joiners
Welcome to Newham Community Learning – a group of two primary and four secondary schools in the west of the borough of Newham. We are delighted that you have joined our group of schools as either a trustee or a local governor.
To help you to get started in your role as either a local governor of one of our schools, or as a trustee of Newham Community Learning, we ask that you review the information on this page and complete the form at the end.
Onboarding
As part of your appointment and onboarding process as a trustee or or local school governor, there are various pieces of information that we need from you as part of our safer recruitment protocols. To make this process as simple as possible, we have designed a number of forms for you to complete, which are available via the hyperlinks in the Forms for Completion section.
All meetings are planned well in advance, and are available on the Trust Governance Calendar.
An overview of the role of a governor at any NCL school is provided in this document. All new governors and trustees are requested to review this presentation in order to gain a clear understanding, from the outset, of what is expected of them.
Competence and conduct
As well as the important information above, we ask that you read our Trustee Conduct and Competence overview or Governor Conduct and Competence overview (as applicable to the role you have applied for). Finally, our Privacy Notice details how we safeguard your personal data; please ensure that you review this.
All ‘live’ operational information to support trustees and governors in their roles is available via the Governor Information and Login page; an overview of how governance operates across Newham Community Learning is available on the Structures and Oversight page, with the Policies page providing additional information.
Safeguarding and cyber security
All governors and trustees have a vital role to play to ensure that all children and young people in our care at all schools in the Trust, do well. This is only possible if every young person is happy, secure and safe at school. Furthermore, this is a statutory requirement, under the Education Act 2002. This graphic (also referred to at the Trust’s Safeguarding Wheel) explains the many elements that make up safeguarding at NCL. The Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education publication (which is updated annually) provides the detail of what this means in practice and is required reading for all trustees and governors.
Training
Trustees and governors have an important role to play in the governance and oversight of Newham Community Learning. In order to be able to discharge their duties effectively, we provide both a bespoke annual training programme, and access to an online resource portal – The Key for School Governors. As part of the onboarding process, you will be emailed a link to register for access to The Key for School Governors, and signposted to the induction materials on the platform.
Forms for completion
- Induction confirmation form
- Business and pecuniary interests declaration form
- ICT acceptable use form
Further support and queries
Once again, a very warm welcome to Newham Community Learning. Please contact Joy Parker ([email protected]), Trust Governance Consultant, should you have any queries. The Headteacher of the local governing body you will serve on/their PA will also be able to help you with any queries you may have.